EVA TURNER (WERNETH, OLDHAM, ENGLAND, 10 MARCH, 1892 – LONDON, ENGLAND, UK, 16 JUNE, 1990)
She began her training with Dan Rootham in Bristol and from 1911-15 studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London with M. Wilson and E. Levi. She began her singing career as a chorist with the Carl Rosa Opera Company; since 1916 she sang minor roles in this company. After further studies with Albert Richards since 1920 she had great successes at the Carl Rosa Company. In 1920 she sang the part of Santuzza in “Cavalleria Rusticana” with the Carl Rosa Society at the Covent Garden Opera in London. When the conductor Ettore Panizza heard her singing in London, he recommended to Arturo Toscanini, who immediately engaged her for the La Scala in Milan. In 1924 she made her debut at La Scala in Milan as Freia in “Rheingold”. Then she performed with great very successf at La Scala as Sieglinde in “Walküre”. Since then she had her successes at the major Italian opera theaters. She sang at La Scala (1924-25 and 1929), also made guest appearances in Turin, Naples, Trieste, Bologna and Pisa. In Italy the title role in ‘’Turandot’’ she sang for the first time in 1926 at the Teatro Grande. In 1929 she was heard at the Arena di Verona in the title role of Mascagnis “Isabeau”, which she repeated in 1930 at the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma. In the 1928-1930, in 1933, 1935, in the 1937-1938 season and from 1947-1949 seasons she hurried from success to success at the Covent Garden Opera in London. In addition to her incomparable Turandot she appeared there also as Aida, Agathe in “Freischütz” (1935), Santuzza in “Cavalleria Rusticana”, Brünnhilde, Sieglinde and in 1938 her first Isolde in “Tristan und Isolde”. From 1925 to 1931 she was a guest at the opera houses of Berlin, Dresden, Frankfurt am Main, Vienna and Munich. In 1927 and 1931 she appeared in South America. She performed in Rio de Janeiro and at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires. Here she sang in 1927 in the South American premiere of “Fidelio” as Leonore. The same year she appeared there in the premiere of Rimsky-Korsakov’s “The Tale of Tsar Saltan”. In the 1928-1930 season and in 1938 she was engaged by the Chicago Opera (debut as Aida). She also appeared at the Boston Opera and gave a concerts in America. In 1929 she sang the part of Aida in Pasadena in an open-air performance in front of 10000 listeners. In 1939 she gave guest performances in Copenhagen, Vienna, Lisbon and Athens. Especially she was extremely popular in Turin, where she appeared in 1926, 1932, in the 1934-1935 season and in 1937. In 1948 she received a professorship at the University of Oklahoma, but in 1959 came back to London and taught singing at the local Royal Academy of Music. Among her students were Amy Shuard, Rita Hunter and Gwyneth Jones. She was appointed a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in 1962. She was awarded the Freedom of the Borough of Oldham on 7 July 1982.
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